Peter’s on the floor with wrenches and cogs, working on bikes; up until a moment ago, I was on the floor with leather care items and wooden forms, working on shoes. It’s nothing unusual for either of us.
It strikes me only at these times — the mundane, ordinary moments — that we were ever long-distance. We never had much time to share these sorts of activities together previously. It was a concentrate of extraordinary do-everything days when together, then weeks of our individual lives spent 1,500 miles apart and shared over Skype.
My first two weeks here I would have jumped at the opportunity for a pause or slow-motion option on life; a LOT was happening / had been happening that needed our attention all at once and it was exhausting and overwhelming and real… and in hindsight, just part of life.
Now I’m nearing seven weeks in New York. I’ve gotten some big things out of the way, allowing time and energy to focus on more inconsequential things — I’m finding items that went missing amidst transitions, settling in, working a bit, feeling human, planning to visit my parents soon. No longer squinting to see whether the light at the end of the tunnel was within view.
This is home, we’re a little family, our friends and family here and away are a cool and supportive village. It’s a tough (but awesome) city to brave out on plenty of levels, and I think the toughest parts of transitioning are behind me or close enough to done with else it’d be impossible for me to chill out and focus intently on things as inconsequential and ordinary as shoes that sat smooshed in a big box for longer than intended… or on blogging my perspective on the matter.
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